The Pacers have been all about transparency this season: they tell the whole world what they want, and then they go out and try to get it. And that goes beyond their widely-known mission of getting homecourt advantage in the playoffs by earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference (which, if you haven't noticed, is going quite well).

On Nov. 6, Hibbert hit the send button on this tweet: "DPoY. Goodnight!" Minutes later, he followed with this tweet: "People act like I can't have individual goals. I didn't talk about it in the past. Well now I am. I WANT DPoY. That's gonna help my team win." And now, he's the frontrunner by a long shot.

As every last Pacers player will tell you, Hibbert's ability to intimidate all comers at and around the rim allows them to gamble to their collective heart's content everywhere else on the floor. Thus, you have the league's top-ranked defense by a huge margin (93.6 points allowed per 100 possessions; second-ranked Chicago is 97.4). On the individual front, Hibbert is second only to Davis in blocks per game (2.59 per game compared to three) while leading all centers in the extremely relevant category of opponents' field-goal percentage at the rim at 41.6%.

Michael Carter Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers wins USA TODAY Sports' rookie of the year award, drawing eight of 10 first-place votes for 42 points after holding first place most of the season. Here are his runners-up.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports

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The New York Knicks guard is no longer part of a winning program like he was last season, and the declining production that he has provided (11.9 points per game on 36.5% shooting overall) is more meaningless than ever this time around. Enter Crawford, the 2010 winner who was the runner-up to Smith last season.

This race certainly isn't over – and those footsteps Crawford should be hearing belong to revived Renaissance man, Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs – but Crawford gets the nod at the moment. His scoring (17.4 points per game, his personal highest since last winning the award) has been a badly-needed lifeline for a Clippers team that has been thin on offensive weapons this season because of injuries. Point guard and darkhorse MVP candidate Chris Paul went down with a shoulder injury on Jan. 3 and is attempting to return before the mid-February All-Star break, while starting shooting guard J.J. Redick returned recently after missing almost six weeks with a hand injury. Translation: Crawford's value is on the rise.

The Clippers are 29-15 and fourth in the Western Conference, and Crawford – despite coming off the bench – is their third leading scorer (trailing Paul and forward Blake Griffin) and ranks fourth in average minutes played. Whereas Ginobili has had just five games of 20-plus point scoring, Crawford has had 13 such games (including a season-high 31 points against Sacramento on Nov. 29). His efficiency could stand to improve, though, as he's shooting just 40.8% overall and 35.6% from beyond the arc.

As for Ginobili, so much for all that retirement talk that surrounded the 2013 Finals. Despite looking so pedestrian back then, he has been very good to this point (12.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds per game) and is playing the same pivotal role for San Antonio that he has since 2002. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson is getting notice for his candidacy, too, but the latest Russell Westbrook knee surgery has put him in a starting role for much of the season (including the last 15 games).

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LeBron James got the laugh this time., leading the 2014 NBA All-Star Game starting lineups in fan votes. Flip through to see the starters, listed by number of votes received.
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There may not be a more difficult award to dissect, but Stephenson gets the nod here for this fact alone: his improvement may be the difference in who wins the championship.

Stephenson has quickly evolved from being a complementary piece on the team that fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games to becoming a cherished member of this Pacers core that looks fully capable of avenging loss and winning it all. He's playing more (29.2 minutes per game last season to 35.2), which indicates an increased trust level between him and my Coach of the Year frontrunner, Frank Vogel. But this isn't your typical more-playing-time-means-more-production line of logic: his scoring (8.8 points per game last season to 13.7 this season), rebounding (3.9 to 6.8), assists (2.9 to 5.2) have all spiked far more than his playing time, while his shooting has become markedly more efficient as well (46% to 49.2% overall, 33% to 34.5% from three-point range, 65.2% to 70.2% from the free-throw line). Add in the fact that he's a dogged wing defender on the league's stingiest team, and you get a good sense why his development matters more than most.

The Phoenix Suns' Eric Bledsoe was running away with this award before having surgery to repair his meniscus on Jan. 10, but there are no shortage of other players worth mentioning. Whether it's the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis to the Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond, the Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, the Orlando Magic's Arron Afflalo, the Suns' big man twins, Markieff and Marcus Morris, the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, or the Washington Wizards' John Wall Bradley Beal, improvement abounds. One could make an argument for Pacers' star small forward Paul George, too, but the reigning Most Improved Player made the mistake of playing like a top-level talent during the playoffs last season. In other words, and in stark contrast to Stephenson, we saw this breakout year coming.

April 14, 2014: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer goes crowd surfing in the middle of a game against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors went on to win a 130-120 shootout, clinching the 6th seed in the playoffs.
Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports

April 13, 2014: Paul George and his Indiana Pacers got a much-needed win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as his squad jousts with the Miami Heat for the top playoff spot in the East.
Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports

March 18, 2014: On the day he was introduced as Knicks president, Phil Jackson joins former teammates Walt Frazier and Dick Barnett and Peter DeBusschere, son of Jackson teammate Dave.
William Perlman, The Star-Ledger, via USA TODAY Sports

March 3, 2014: The night belonged to LeBron James, who put on a show for the South Beach crowd with a career-high and Heat-record 61 points in a 124-107 win over the Bobcats.
Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports

March 2, 2014: Joakim Noah (13) sends Raymond Felton's (2) shot back where it came from as the Bulls rolled to a 109-90 win over the Knicks in Chicago. Noah wracked up a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists.
Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports

Feb 26, 2014: Dwight Howard (12) beat Blake Griffin (32) for an alley-oop slam here, but it wasn't enough for the Rockets, who fell 101-93 to the Clippers in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports

Feb 24, 2014: Everyone knew he would take the shot, but the Knicks still couldn't stop Dirk Nowitzki (41), who hit the game-winning shot here at the buzzer to give the Mavericks a 110-108 win.
Anthony Gruppuso, USA TODAY Sports

Feb. 23, 2014: Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins (46) attempts a shot during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers. Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in any of North America's four major professional sports.
Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports

Feb. 5, 2014: Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during the third quarter in the Kings' game against the Toronto Raptors.
Ed Szczepanski, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 26, 2014: It was another emotional night in Boston as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett returned for the first time since being traded to the Nets in July. Each only scored six points, but Brooklyn came away with a 85-79 win.
Mark L. Baer, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 25, 2014: Thunder star Kevin Durant had his game face on for a 103-91 win over the 76ers, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Durant also scored 30 or more for the 10th consecutive game.
Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 24, 2014: Carmelo Anthony was all smiles after he delighted the home crowd and lit up Madison Square Garden with a franchise and arena-record 62 points in the Knicks' 125-96 win over the Bobcats.
Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 12, 2014: C.J. Miles (0) couldn't get to the bucket here against Jason Thompson (34), just as the Cavaliers had a tough time scoring against the Kings in a 124-80 loss. Sacramento's 44-point blowout was the biggest rout of the NBA season so far.
Kelley L. Cox, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 10, 2014: In an NBA first, the Heat and Nets wore jerseys with nicknames on the back. "The Truth" Paul Pierce (34) and the Nets got the better of "King James" LeBron James and the Heat in a 104-95 double-overtime win.
Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 5, 2014: A frustrated Jose Calderon pleads his case with an official during the Mavericks' home loss to the Knicks. New York frustrated Dallas into a season low in points in a 92-80 win.
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 4, 2014: Kevin Love, right, got the better of Kevin Durant in this collision of All-Stars, but Durant and the Thunder got the better of Love and the Timberwolves on the scoreboard in Oklahoma City's 115-111 win.
Jesse Johnson, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 1, 2014: Monta Ellis (11) played some tough defense on John Wall (2) here as the Mavericks locked down on the Wizards in the fourth quarter of an 87-78 win in Washington.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 23, 2013: In the epitome of a size mismatch, the 7-0 Dirk Nowitzki shoots over the 6-3 Jeremy Lin during a Mavericks win over the Rockets. Nowtizki scored a game-high 31 points to move into 13th place on the all-time scoring list.
Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 21, 2013: Damian Lillard does it all for the Portland Trail Blazers. The reigning Rookie of the Year hit the floor to corral a loose ball here and later hit the go-ahead three-pointer in a 110-107 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 19, 2013: No Big 3 was no problem for the Spurs. Even with Tim Duncan cheering from the bench and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker also out, San Antonio edged Golden State on the road 104-102.
Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 14, 2013: Washington point guard John Wall (2) wasn't happy with a call here or the Wizards' play in a 113-97 home loss to the Clippers. Wall finished with 24 points and 12 assists, but his Los Angeles counterpart Chris Paul answered with 38 points and 12 dimes.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 11, 2013: It was an emotional night in Boston when former coach Doc Rivers returned to the TD Garden as a visitor. Rivers received a standing ovation during a video tribute to his nine years with the Celtics.
Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 8, 2013: It was thumbs up all around in Laker Land when Kobe Bryant made his season debut eight months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Bryant's return was not enough, though, as Los Angeles lost to the Toronto Raptors.
Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 6, 2013: Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives the ball on a fast break during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 5, 2013: Iman Shumpert (21) and Andray Blatche (0) shared just a few of the many heated words exchanged between the Knicks and Nets in the battle of New York. Shumpert and the Knicks routed Blatche and the Nets in the first of four meetings this season.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports

Nov. 23, 2013: Tempers flare during a third-quarter altercation between the Blazers and Warriors in Oakland. The fracas led to three ejections and six technical fouls during Portland's come-from-behind win.
Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

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It's not easy to keep an All-Star player content in a small market – just ask the Utah Jazz (see Deron Williams), the New Orleans Hornets (Chris Paul before they were the Pelicans), Denver Nuggets (Carmelo Anthony), and Orlando Magic (Dwight Howard). But with Blazers' big man LaMarcus Aldridge widely known to have a wandering eye last season after Portland finished with 16 consecutive losses, second-year general manager Neil Olshey bucked the trend and has, quite impressively, orchestrated the season's best surprise story.

Specifically, he met Aldridge's request for a true center to play alongside by trading for center Robin Lopez in early July in a three-team deal (giving up only draft rights to rookie center Jeff Withey, a future second-round pick and cash considerations). Aldridge – who is one of the game's best midrange shooters – didn't want to be forced into playing the center spot anymore. Landing Lopez righted that wrong. He added badly-needed experience and depth, too, signing veterans Mo Williams and Dorell Wright.